TOP 1000 LITERARY MAGAZINES

The database includes more than 1000 literary magazines publishing fiction and/or creative non-fiction. Magazines publishing genre fiction and those with geographical restrictions tend not to be included..

 

Along with the rankings, the full database also information on: cost of submission, pay, word limits, reading times, location of journal. 

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If you have comments, suggestions, questions, please send them to: brecht_dp@protonmail.com

 

Putting this together was a lot of work. If you can, please consider supporting this project by buying me a coffee!

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Ranking methodology

 

The ranking is based primarily on prizes/anthologies. For journals that do not figure in any of these anthologies, the number of Twitter followers is used for lack of a better metric. It's important to note that not all aspects of journal quality can be measured and that this is just one ranking amongst many.  In the end, this is just additional information, a tool, that can use when deciding where to submit. The ranking is also very US-centered, so journals from other countries are at a disadvantage. 

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Components and weights:

• Best American Short Stories 2015-2024: 4 points for every featured story, 1 point for every notable story. 2024 weight = 1, decreasing to 2015 weight = 0.1 (overall weight in ranking = 100%)

• Best American Essays 2015-2024: 4 points for every featured story, 1 point for every notable story. 2024 weight = 1, decreasing to 2015 weight = 0.1 (overall weight in ranking = 100%)

• Pushcart Fiction 2015-2024: 4 points for every fiction winner, 1 point for every fiction special mention. 2024 weight = 1, decreasing to 2015 weight = 0.1 (overall weight in ranking = 100%)

• Pushcart Non-Fiction 2015-2024: 4 points for every non-fiction winner, 1 point for every non-fiction special mention. 2024 weight = 1, decreasing to 2015 weight = 0.1 (overall weight in ranking = 100%)

• Henry Prize for Short Fiction 2015-2024: 1 point for every featured story. 2024 weight = 1, decreasing to 2015 weight = 0.1 (overall weight in ranking = 100%)

• PEN DAU Short Story Prize 2017-2024: 1 point for every featured story. 2024 weight = 1, decreasing to 2017 weight = 0.3 (overall weight in ranking = 100%)

• Best of Net Fiction 2015-2024: 2 points for every winning story, 1 point for every finalist (overall weight in ranking = 100%)

• Best of Net Non-Fiction 2015-2024: 2 points for every winning story, 1 point for every finalist (overall weight in ranking = 100%)

• Wigleaf Top 50 2015-2024: 1 point for every featured story; (overall weight = 25%)

• Best Small Fictions 2019-2024: 4 points for every spotlighted story, 1 point for every story in full selection (overall weight in ranking = 12.5%)

• Best Microfiction 2019-2024: 1 point for each story featured. 2024 weight = 1, decreasing to 2019 weight = 0.5 (overall weight in ranking = 12.5%)

• Twitter followers: follower count on 26 October 2024 normalised to 1 (where 1 = top magazine) (overall weight in ranking = 100%)

 

This version: 4 November 2024

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